COVID-19 Lock Down: Delta State Youths Beat Up Soldiers for Killing A Man
BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT – There was pandemonium in Ugbuwangue town of Delta state, as angry youths on Thursday violently attacked some Nigerian Army personnel drafted to enforce the lockdown on COVID-19 for shooting and killing a young man by name Joseph Pessu, who allegedly disobeyed the order.
The Delta State Government on Tuesday declared a lockdown across the state for 14 days, which commenced on Wednesday.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who announced the State lockdown of the state on Tuesday to check the possible spread of COVID-19, said only those on essential duties are exempted from the directive and warned that security operatives will be deployed across the state to enforce the directive.
The late Pessu, a father of two was allegedly shot dead by a soldier along the Ada Val Arenyenka Street in the Ugbuwangue axis of the NPA Expressway, Warri, Delta state.
The victim met his untimely death at about 9:40am on Thursday, April 2, while riding his power bike during the lockdown and was flagged down by a team of security operatives but he allegedly refused to stop for proper identification, a development that led to a chase.
Eye witnesses at the scene of the incident, said the soldiers fired gunshots at the tyres of Pessu’s bike before another of the soldiers shot him from the back.
The victim, pictured wearing a white shirt and red trousers, was drenched in blood as locals flocked the scene before taking him to the Police Area Command, Warri.
The death of Pessu provoked immediate anger among the youths in the area and they quickly mobilized and embark on Street protest in spite of the 14-days lockdown.
However, the chairman of Warri South Local Government Council, Dr. Michael Tidi and a political leader in the community, Chief Vincent Okudolor, quickly moved in and intervened.
Dr. Tidi said that the officer responsible for shooting the late Pessu has been arrested and therefore called for calm.
However, before the intervention of the political leaders, the angry youths had attacked two soldiers.
